Iran: 10 Days of Dawn to mark 37 years since the Islamic Revolution

The overthrow of the repressive monarchy of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi saw it replaced by an Islamic republic led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who returned to Iran after 15 years of exile in France. www.getreligion.org

Iran is set to begin its 10 Days of Dawn celebrations as the government marks 37 years since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

The 10 days of celebrations kick off on 1 February – the date Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini landed in the country after 15 years of exile – and end 10 days later – marking the date then-Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's regime officially collapsed.

The Shah had previously fled the country in January 1979, but it was not until Khomeini's return from exile that the Shah lost all grip on power.

Following Khomeini's return, amid promises of an Iran free of US influence, fighting broke out in the streets, culminating in the resignation of Shah-appointed prime minister Shapour Bakhtiar on 11 February – just over a month after taking office.

Khomeini's official election to the post of supreme leader just two months later signified a dramatic shift for Iran, with many believing that life would be better, particularly economically, under him.

During Khomeini's time as supreme leader, until his death in 1989, Khomeini maintained a policy of vehemently anti-West rhetoric, severing relations with the US.

Over the 37 years that followed the revolution, a number of dissenters were imprisoned, executed or exiled, and there was a feeling among many, particularly members of the resistance, that the freedoms promised had not come to pass.

This year, celebrations of the revolution are likely to be more jubilant than in previous times, given the recent removal of crippling economic sanctions against the Islamic republic, thanks to a nuclear deal made last year that hinged on Iran's compliance with a number of conditions laid out by the IAEA, which certified several weeks ago that Iran had met its obligations.

Over the 10 Days of Dawn celebrations, officials including the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who took over from Khomeini following his death in 1989, and Iranian president Hassan Rouhani are likely to visit Khomeini's tomb and pay tribute to him and the ideals of the revolution.